In a Dec. 9, 2014, file photo, from left to right, singer Keith Urban, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, and singer Harry Connick Jr. arrive on the set of "American Idol" in Los Angeles. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP, File)

(Newser)
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Fox is lowering the curtain on American Idol, ending a series that dominated television throughout the 2000s and made stars of the likes of Simon Cowell, Kelly Clarkson, and Carrie Underwood. The network announced today that the reality competition will go off the air after its 15th and final season next spring. The cast from the past few seasons, with Ryan Seacrest as host and Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. as judges, will return for a season-long celebration of the show's history. American Idol faded over the past few years, eclipsed in the music competition genre it pioneered by The Voice on NBC. Personnel changes didn't help, and neither did tinkering with the format, as the show fell victim to what usually kills off most television series—old age. (Click for 35 Idol scandals.)

My fave TV series title of all time: "Father Knows Best". The title is so theologically great and on-target. You know? Never watched it, though. My most hated TV series title of all time: "American Idol". So theologically depressing, though of course true. Never watched it either.